At the beginning of 2003, Pierre Lallement handed over control of the domaine to his son, Jean. Pierre had been at the helm for 40 years, taking over for his father, Arthur, who was one of three founding partners in the Juillet-Lallement house that started at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, Jean and his wife, Virginie, run the domaine in the picturesque Grand Cru Champagne village of Verzy.  Located in the heart of the Montagne de Reims, this village is known for its exceptional verdant forest and its famous twisted beech trees (think Northern Ireland’s famous “Dark Hedges” featured in Game of Thrones). The Lalllement’s 4 hectares are spread over two terroirs, Verzy and Sillery, both classified as 100% Grand Cru. Their parcels average 40 years in age, and their oldest parcel goes back to 1949, planted by Arthur Lallement. The Juillet-Lallement plantings are divided amongst 45% chardonnay, 50% pinot noir and 5% pinot meunier on 9 separate parcels, all planted on the region’s chalky subsoil.

This wine blends 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay from both villages – ideally suited for all occasions. The aromas reveal luscious stone fruit notes of peach and apricot, with teasing whispers of pineapple and papaya. In the mouth, citrus fruits take over, as lemons, grapefruits, tangerine notes burst forth, with accents of honeysuckle and star jasmine. This is an ample and supple Champagne sure to please many a crowd – the 8 g/liter dosage grants weight and highlights the fruitiness of the wine, without sacrificing any amount of brightness or intensity on the finish. Additionally, one third of the blend consists of reserve wine from past vintages – adding complexity and a developed edge to the wine’s youthful exuberance. 

Even though we offered this a ways back, y’all have been giving us great reviews on the wine over these past few months… so we figured it might be time to re-up your stores! Champagne of this quality, at this price… you really can’t ever have enough!